


The Grim, The Hairdresser, and the War

by nickahontas (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action, Dark Magic, During Harry's Time, F/M, Harry Potter but not for kids, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Self-Insert, War, With mini flashback chapters, but no light bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:08:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23566603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nickahontas
Summary: What would the war have been like if Sirius had lived?A self-insert can’t figure out who it is she’s supposed to save until she blackmails Sirius Black into hiding in her apartment instead of a cave. SheSirius might never be himself again, but he’s got a new Slytherin friend to help him be the godfather he’s always wanted to be.———————A self-insert shown through canon POVs.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 154





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this story Sirius comes back to England in late fall instead of March. Really, it always struck me as weird that it took him so long. 
> 
> I know no one asked for this, but it suddenly came to me and I've been writing it all down for five days straight.

**Mid September 1980**

Sirius tipped his seat back and stared up at Augusta Longbottom’s fresco ceiling. Technically, only the west wing of Longbottom Manor was used for Headquarters. The other three parts of the manor were reserved for friends and family, which was basically all of the Order. So, every Sunday they held meetings in the converted ballroom and lumbered over to get drunk in Alice’s drawing room.

It was a Tuesday, though. An unbearably hot, unbearably tense Tuesday. The sun had just set and Frank had lit the chandelier with a flick of his wand. It cast a contrastingly warm glow on all the icy expressions around the table.

“And Burke?” Moody snarled. “What about her? Where the hell did she disappear to earlier? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

One minute she’d been cackling at a hooded Death Eater, telling him he had to mean it and casting her own crucio, one that no one doubted she meant, and the next she was being pulled back by an invisible force.

Sirius let his chair slam back onto the marble floor. “I have.”

They all turned to look at him.

“It’s that ring. There are two of them, both enchanted to summon the other no matter the wards. I reckon it might even work in Hogwarts if it wanted.”

“If it wanted?” Evans asked doubtfully.

“Sometimes very old magical artifacts gain sentience over time,” Dumbledore explained thoughtfully. “I must confess that I would dearly love to explore the Black vaults. I’m sure there are artifacts that not even I nor our enemy could dream of existing.”

“Better you than me,” Sirius grumbled. “Reg has the other one. He has to. It’s meant for the Lord and Lady of the House in dangerous times. Every Black heir learns how to activate it. It was one of the first spells I learned.”

Dumbledore sighed. “So either your brother is in danger or Miss Burke, or perhaps Mrs. Black, has betrayed us.”

“I never liked her,” Moody said.

“Oh come off it,” One Prewett twin said. “She’s not the only dark one at this table. Gideon and Iuse the exact-“

“ALBUS!” Augusta’s voice echoed in from the hall.

Dumbledore and his closest fled through the main doors. The rest of them had to shove through the side ones and cut across an old sitting room to get to the foyer. Prongs got there first and hissed at Peter to get him out, whoever him was. Sirius shoved his way past Fabian and froze. His body, his mind, it all just stopped working.

Burke stood in the blue foyer, still in that morning’s battle robes. They were covered in blood, blood that had not been there before, and clutched to her chest was a head. A very familiar head.

Dumbledore stepped forward gingerly, his wand loose at his side.

“Miss Bur-.”

“Where is Bla-...” she staggered, swallowing thickly. “I need to speak to Sirius, please.”

Sirius could not move. Distantly, he felt Prongs pull at him, but he could not move.

“Miss Burke, you are in shock. Come with me.”

“I couldn’t mean it.” She said. “It didn’t work, it only made him stagger and there were so many of them and-“

“OUT!” Dumbledore roared. “EVERYONE OUT.”

The girl stepped back at his sudden command, wand out and eyes wide, that terrified face clutched tighter to her breast. A ring glittered amongst all the raven hair. Sirius knew that ring. He knew that hair.

Dumbledore exchanged a silent conversation with someone behind Sirius and two strong arms wrapped around each of his own. He didn’t throw them off, didn’t turn to see who it was. He couldn’t move.

“Miss Burke,” Dumbledore said, edging closer. “Why don’t you give us your friend so we can take care of him.”

“He wanted Sirius. He was crying for Sirius. I need to take him to Sirius.”

“Why? Why was Regulus so frightened?”

“There was a potion but I wasn’t summoned until he drank it all and we tried to tell him-“

“We? Who is we?”

“Me and....there was a house elf.”

“Where is the house elf now?”

“I told him to go home. He was crying and scared, but I think he listened. He didn’t seem hurt but there were so many and I couldn’t protect them both. I’m good, but there were so many with their bones and their smell and they were dragging him and ripping him apart-“

“Who, Natalie? Who was dragging him?”

She looked up at him with pale glowing eyes. Even Sirius, with his frozen brain and frozen feet, wanted to inch away from those eyes. There was something wrong with them.

“The dead.”

A deep, rasping voice cursed vehemently. Dumbledore raised his hand before Mad-Eye could interrupt.

“Why were the dead attacking Regulus?”

She clutched the head tighter and raised her wand to her temple. Behind Sirius, someone drew in a sharp breath. “I won’t tell you. I can’t. I’ll fucking kill myself. I swear I will. I’ll fucking AK myself and mean every motherfucking-“

“That’s okay, Natalie,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Might I ask what happened next? Or would you-“

“They ripped his arm off. They just ripped it off like a piece of paper!” She lowered her wand, waving it wildly, sparks flying, her eyes bloodshot and blown. “Blood went everywhere, like everywhere, and he was already half in the water and I knew, I just knew, so I tried, I tried so hard to mean it, but he just staggered and fell more and he was crying for Sirius and I knew I had to do it, but I didn’t want him to hurt more, so I thought if I just slit his throat it would be quick, but he was screaming and Kreacher was crying and there was so much blood and so many arms reaching for us and his head, it just fell off.” She looked up at Dumbledore, her brows raised in shock. “It just fell off!”

“And then what?”

“Kreacher freaked and summoned it and I grabbed...it and he apparated us out. I didn’t know what to do but he kept screaming for Sirius so I thought maybe I should bring him here. Should I leave? I think I might be able to take him back to Grimmauld Place, but I’m not very good at healing spells.”

“Healing spells?” Someone said. Everyone turned and Sirius realized it must have been him. “You took his fucking head off, what is there to heal?!”

He struggled against the arms holding him holding him back, needing to get to her, to get Reggie, to do something. Burke, however, stared at him with wide, frightened eyes and raised her wand.

“Ignis-“

“STUPEFY!“

Burke fell over, Regulus’s head rolling across the marble tile. His face stared up at the ceiling in anguish and terror. Sirius lurched against the arms again, but they held tight.

“Don’t make me do it, mate,” James gritted out.

“FIENDFYRE, ALBUS! SHE NEARLY BURNT US ALL TO A-“

“Calm yourself, Alastor! The girl was not thinking properly! She saw Sirius struggling against his friends and thought it was Regulus and the inferni. Natalie has gone through-“

“FUCK HER!” Sirius roared. “Fuck her to hell and back. She killed my BABY BROTHER!”

He finally ripped through James and Fabian, pulled his wand out of his pocket, and suddenly, abruptly, passed out.

* * *

Burke was not there the next morning. She disappeared for several months, even Dumbledore at a loss for where she might have gone. Then James and Lily died and Sirius went to Azkaban, where he would hear Regulus crying for help in his dreams. The screams haunted him for thirteen years, the screams and the way the ring glittered in his hair.

The next time he saw Burke, it was 1994 and she was reaching for him with that fucking ring glinting in the sun, and he ran away. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Mid September 1980**

Sirius tipped his seat back and stared up at Augusta Longbottom’s fresco ceiling. Technically, only the west wing of Longbottom Manor was used for Headquarters. The other three parts of the manor were reserved for friends and family, which was basically all of the Order. So, every Sunday they held meetings in the converted ballroom and lumbered over to get drunk in Alice’s drawing room.

It was a Tuesday, though. An unbearably hot, unbearably tense Tuesday. The sun had just set and Frank had lit the chandelier with a flick of his wand. It cast a contrastingly warm glow on all the icy expressions around the table.

“And Burke?” Moody snarled. “What about her? Where the hell did she disappear to earlier? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

One minute she’d been cackling at a hooded Death Eater, telling him he had to mean it and casting her own crucio, one that no one doubted she meant, and the next she was being pulled back by an invisible force.

Sirius let his chair slam back onto the marble floor. “I have.”

They all turned to look at him.

“It’s that ring. There are two of them, both enchanted to summon the other no matter the wards. I reckon it might even work in Hogwarts if it wanted.”

“If it wanted?” Evans asked doubtfully.

“Sometimes very old magical artifacts gain sentience over time,” Dumbledore explained thoughtfully. “I must confess that I would dearly love to explore the Black vaults. I’m sure there are artifacts that not even I nor our enemy could dream of existing.”

“Better you than me,” Sirius grumbled. “Reg has the other one. He has to. It’s meant for the Lord and Lady of the House in dangerous times. Every Black heir learns how to activate it. It was one of the first spells I learned.”

Dumbledore sighed. “So either your brother is in danger or Miss Burke, or perhaps Mrs. Black, has betrayed us.”

“I never liked her,” Moody said.

“Oh come off it,” One Prewett twin said. “She’s not the only dark one at this table. Gideon and Iuse the exact-“

“ALBUS!” Augusta’s voice echoed in from the hall.

Dumbledore and his closest fled through the main doors. The rest of them had to shove through the side ones and cut across an old sitting room to get to the foyer. Prongs got there first and hissed at Peter to get him out, whoever him was. Sirius shoved his way past Fabian and froze. His body, his mind, it all just stopped working.

Burke stood in the blue foyer, still in that morning’s battle robes. They were covered in blood, blood that had not been there before, and clutched to her chest was a head. A very familiar head.

Dumbledore stepped forward gingerly, his wand loose at his side.

“Miss Bur-.”

“Where is Bla-...” she staggered, swallowing thickly. “I need to speak to Sirius, please.”

Sirius could not move. Distantly, he felt Prongs pull at him, but he could not move.

“Miss Burke, you are in shock. Come with me.”

“I couldn’t mean it.” She said, voice flat. “It didn’t work, it only made him stagger and there were so many of them and-“

“OUT!” Dumbledore roared. “EVERYONE OUT.”

The girl stepped back at his sudden command, wand out and eyes wide, that terrified face clutched tighter to her breast. A ring glittered amongst all the raven hair. Sirius knew that ring. He knew that hair.

Dumbledore exchanged a silent conversation with someone behind Sirius and two strong arms wrapped around each of his own. He didn’t throw them off, didn’t turn to see who it was. He couldn’t move.

“Miss Burke,” Dumbledore said, edging closer. “Why don’t you give us your friend so we can take care of him.”

“He wanted Sirius. He was crying for Sirius. I need to take him to Sirius.”

“Why? Why was Regulus so frightened?”

“There was a potion but I wasn’t summoned until he drank it all and we tried to tell him-“

“We? Who is we?”

“Me and....there was a house elf.”

“Where is the house elf now?”

“I told him to go home. He was crying and scared, but I think he listened. He didn’t seem hurt but there were so many and I couldn’t protect them both. I’m good, but there were so many with their bones and their smell and they were dragging him and ripping him apart-“

“Who, Natalie? Who was dragging him?”

She looked up at him with pale glowing eyes. Even Sirius, with his frozen brain and frozen feet, wanted to inch away from those eyes. There was something wrong with them.

“The dead.”

A deep, rasping voice cursed vehemently. Dumbledore raised his hand before Mad-Eye could interrupt.

“Why were the dead attacking Regulus?”

She clutched the head tighter and raised her wand to her temple. Behind Sirius, someone drew in a sharp breath. “I won’t tell you. I can’t. I’ll fucking kill myself. I swear I will. I’ll fucking AK myself and mean every motherfucking-“

“That’s okay, Natalie,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Might I ask what happened next? Or would you-“

“They ripped his arm off. They just ripped it off like a piece of paper!” She lowered her wand, waving it wildly, sparks flying, her eyes bloodshot and blown. “Blood went everywhere, like everywhere, and he was already half in the water and I knew, I just knew, so I tried, I tried so hard to mean it, but he just staggered and fell more and he was crying for Sirius and I knew I had to do it, but I didn’t want him to hurt more, so I thought if I just slit his throat it would be quick, but he was screaming and Kreacher was crying and there was so much blood and so many arms reaching for us and his head, it just fell off.” She looked up at Dumbledore, her brows raised in shock. “It just fell off!”

“And then what?”

“Kreacher freaked and summoned it and I grabbed...it and he apparated us out. I didn’t know what to do but he kept screaming for Sirius so I thought maybe I should bring him here. Should I leave? I think I might be able to take him back to Grimmauld Place, but I’m not very good at healing spells.”

“Healing spells?” Someone said. Everyone turned and Sirius realized it must have been him. “You took his fucking head off, what is there to heal?!”

He struggled against the arms holding him holding him back, needing to get to her, to get Reggie, to do something. Burke, however, stared at him with wide, frightened eyes and raised her wand.

“Ignis-“

“STUPEFY-“

Burke fell over, Regulus’s head rolling across the marble tile. His face stared up at the ceiling in anguish and terror. Sirius lurched against the arms again, but they held tight.

“Don’t make me do it, mate,” James gritted out.

“FIENDFYRE, ALBUS! SHE NEARLY BURNT US ALL TO A-“

“Calm yourself, Alastor! The girl was not thinking properly! She saw Sirius struggling against his friends and thought it was Regulus and the inferni. Natalie has gone through-“

“FUCK HER!” Sirius roared. “Fuck her to hell and back. She killed my BABY BROTHER!”

He finally ripped through James and Fabian, pulled his wand out of his pocket, and suddenly, abruptly, passed out.

* * *

Burke was not there the next morning. She disappeared for several months, even Dumbledore at a loss for where she might have gone. Then James and Lily died and Sirius went to Azkaban, where he would hear Regulus crying for help in his dreams. The screams haunted him for thirteen years, the screams and the way the ring glittered in his hair.

The next time he saw Burke, it was 1994 and she was reaching for him with that fucking ring glinting in the sun, and he ran away. 


	3. Chapter 3

**September 1977**

Sirius watched the transfer student chat amicably to a scared first year. She was cute, with her big eyes and red-blonde hair and barely coming over the heads of the little firsties. Word on the Express was that she was from the American branch of the Burke family and had been seen spending half the summer with Reg in London. He’d written her off as another pureblood bitch, but the rumor mill had been wrong before.  
  
“She seems nice,” Marlene said absently.   
  
“Who is she, do you think?” Evans asked. It was still strange to see her all cozied up to Prongs.  
  
“That’s the Burke girl they were talking about on the train,” Prongs said.  
  
“But she looks so....Hufflepuff.”  
  
Indeed, she had a cheerful blue ribbon in her braid and a very loud laugh. The first years were drawn to her like a kniffler to Gringotts. She cheered all of her disciples on no matter what house they were sorted in to.   
  
“Gryffindor,” Sirius said wisely. “You can’t be from a family like hers and act like that and not be brave.”  
  
“You don’t know what the American branch is like,” Mooney pointed out.   
  
“Aren’t all Americans like that?” Peter asked.   
  
All six of them frowned.   
  
“Good point,” James conceded.   
  
“I hope we get her. Imagine climbing up the portrait behind a girl with a-OW! Fuck, Evans!”  
  
“Don’t be disgusting, Sirius. You’re an adult. Act like it.”  
  
Sirius snorted, something his mother would no doubt hex him for. “It’s my last year. I intend to have more fun this year than I’ve had in the last six of them out together.”  
  
“Merlin have mercy on us all,” Marlene groaned.   
  
“Quiet!” Peter hissed.   
  
McGonnagal was calling for their attention from her spot by the stool.  
  
“We have a rare occurrence this year. Natalie Burke is a fifth year transfer from Ilvermorny. I expect you all welcome her no matter which house she is sorted in to. Ms. Burke, if you would please come forward and be seated on the stool.”  
  
Natalie Burke sat down, her giddiness evident for all to see.   
  
“Definitely a Hufflepuff,” Marlene said.  
  
Nothing happened for a good thirty seconds. Everyone watched as Burke’s amusement faded into thoughtfulness. She tilted her head to the side, frowned, and crossed her shapely legs. Her boots, while regulatory black, were embroidered with roses in a slightly different shade. Reg always did love shopping.  
  
The seconds dragged on to minutes. All of Hogwarts leaned forward to watch the strange, silent conversation. Even Dumbledore was watching eagerly. It didn’t seem to be an argument. The girl looked too contemplative and amused for them to be bickering. Sirius glanced over at Reg, to see what he thought of it all, but he only looked as contemplative and amused as the girl.   
  
Finally, just when a low murmur was breaking out among the students and staff alike, the Hat’s brim opened wide and called out, “SLYTHERIN!”  
  
“Ha!” The girl said cheerfully.  
  
She stood and handed it back to Minnie. Everyone watched as the girl marched straight up to Reg and held her hand out, a wide grin threatening to tear her face in two. Reg rolled his eyes, pulled a handful of gold out of his pocket, and slapped it into her palm. The Hall broke out into whispers.   
  
“She seems interesting,” Mooney said.   
  
“Mm. I dunno. Reg likes her too much.” Everyone stared at Sirius. He scowled at them. “I might not like him, but I know him. He looks at her like he looked at Kreacher.”  
  
“Your house elf?!” James asked incredulously.   
  
“It’s not like that. Kreacher was his best friend. It’s probably why he’s such a git.”  
  
“Sirius!” Evans chastised, though it was obvious her heart wasn't in it.   
  
“She’s pretty, whatever else she is,” Peter added, shoveling potatoes on to his plate.   
  
“Yeah well, so is Bellatrix,” Sirius countered darkly.   
  
Everyone shuddered. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Late November 1994**

Sirius sat outside the back of the beauty salon. He’d watched it for five days now, front and back. Only customers and clients had come by, except for Rosemerta, which was to be expected. They'd always gotten on well. Strangely enough, Burke had a habit of eating dinner with Aberforth once a week. She’d always liked outcasts though, attaching herself to the likes of Mooney and Pandora. Sirius wanted to like her. It was easy to like her and even easier to trust her. It was what made her so dangerous.   
  
The clock tower chimed seven. Sirius huffed and cursed, but he thought of a wand and how glorious having a tent would be, and he loped forward. Right on schedule, her back door opened and a big black poodle rushed out. It immediately jumped to attention, licking its maw and flashing big, white teeth. Padfoot respected poodles. They were intelligent, loyal hunting dogs and could grow as large as Padfoot. It wasn’t their fault humans gave them such stupid haircuts. This one was cropped short all over and wore a big blue collar. Sirius inched forward, shifting so that the wind carried his scent better. The dog’s big nose twitched, then it almost shrugged, and promptly squatted to take a dump.  
  
Merlin, he loved dogs.   
  
Burke, of course, noticed everything. She looked over at him with a blank face. “Thank you for being polite. This is Chimichanga. He’s getting old and has bad hips, so he’s not up for much of a fight.”  
  
She held the door open and stepped to the side. Golden light and the unmistakable scent of pizza filtered through. His mouth watered.   
  
“Go on upstairs. I’ll be up in a bit.”  
  
He just stared at her.   
  
She stared back.   
  
“You’re not leaving without eating pretty boy, so go inside.”  
  
He huffed. The poodle inched closer. This close, Sirius could see the grey on its muzzle and the way it stood crookedly. Sirius wagged his tail and lowered his head to sniff in greeting. Chimi-whatever was more curious than aggressive and lost interest after a good butt sniff. He limped up the stairs without a second thought.   
  
Burke waved impatiently for him to go too, but Sirius refused. Like hell was going to show her his back. He knew exactly what she was capable of. He remembered that look she got in a good duel. She liked the chaos and the violence just as much as he did. Burke rolled her eyes, but acquiesced. She stomped up the old stairs, waiting until she was sure his tail was all the way in to raise her wand and lock the door. A heavy blanket of wards and enchantments settled into place. Padfoot sneezed. Half of those were definitely illegal.  
  
He followed her up the stairs, trying very hard not to look at her ass. Azkaban had ruined women for him too, but he could still appreciate them, even if he didn’t particularly desire to touch them anymore.   
  
The door to her flat was painted blue. Pink and purple roses were painted on a vine that went around the frame. He watched them bloom a time or two as she unlocked the door with her wand and let it open.   
  
Inside was just as colorful, yet somehow tasteful. It was mostly jewel tones and cherry wood. He didn’t smell anything other than snake, Burke, and that wonderful pizza, so he changed back.   
  
The door locked with an echoing clink. Sirius tensed and forced himself not to turn around. He'd never, ever forget the way his cell door had locked that first time.  
  
Burke circled around to study him, her wand tapping against her chin thoughtfully. Behind her, the poodle climbed on to the couch with a sigh.   
  
“Shouldn’t do that,” he rasped. He cleared his throat, though he knew it wouldn’t do any good. His voice was yet another thing lost to that damn island. It was uncomfortable, being looked at like this. He knew what he looked like before, how the muscles of his abdomen used to cut into a sharp v at his hips, how his lips had been full and pink and smooth. Now, they were chapped and pale his and hipbones were just as prominent as his clavicles.   
  
“You need a hair cut,” she finally said.   
  
He barked out a surprised laugh. “A hairdresser of all things. Almost as funny as Snape teaching.”   
  
She raised her brows. He’d always had the sense she meant to only raise one and couldn’t. It was adorable. _She_ was adorable. She’d only grown more beautiful since he’d last seen her. Her hair was more ginger than the blonde it faded to in the summer, but her pale eyes were just as haunting as they’d always been.   
  
“You lot always made fun of me for keeping up my beauty regime, but didn’t have a problem asking me to seduce all sorts of nasty men for information. I’m just keeping sharp for my next assignment.”  
  
He didn’t let her head games get to him. She was spectacularly Slytherin in that regard.   
  
“You sound more British,” he said.   
  
She shuddered. “Dear god, do you know I catch myself thinking ‘That’s too loud, got to use your inside voice’ all the time now?”  
  
“That’s a lie if I ever heard one.”  
  
She shook her head fondly. “Charm those awful shoes clean and come eat. You can have the pizza. I’ll have leftovers.”  
  
He followed her through the living room into a small, bright kitchen. His gaze immediately dropped to the big square box on the counter.   
  
“I couldn’t,” he argued weakly.   
She rolled her eyes as she opened her fridge. Again, he had to look away to keep from staring at her ass. She didn’t have a dining table. Instead, there were cushioned bar stools at the counter. He sat down gingerly, distributing his weight so that he could jump into a fight if need be. Eventually, Burke dropped her haul of soda, apple juice, and plate of pasta at the counter.   
  
“Do you eat anything other than Italian?” He wondered.   
  
She shot him a dirty look. “I’m on my period, don’t judge me.”  
  
He stuffed his face with pizza to keep from having to say anything back. She smirked. He cursed. He’d forgotten how good she was at that sort of thing. Poor Harry never stood a chance. Speaking of...  
  
He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and threw his shoulders back. “You’ll not impose on my godson again.”  
  
“I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not. You kept running away and Remus hasn’t written back in ages. You need help, Sirius.”  
  
“Harry is a child-“  
  
“A child that has faced the Dark Lord three times. The favor I asked-“  
  
“How could you possibly know-“  
  
“Well it isn’t my fault nobody believes I’m a seer, is it?!”   
  
“You could’ve told Dumbledore-“  
  
“He wants you desperate,” she snapped. “It’s how he needs you to keep you from actually parenting Harry. He’ll let that boy die if it means saving the rest of us, and I for one, am not okay with sacrificing children.”   
  
Abruptly, she lifted her wand. The juice and soda danced away and was replaced with a bottle of Ogden’s and mismatched glasses. Sirius raised a brow. She raised both in return. He sneered. His eyebrow theory was right, then. Slytherins weren’t the only ones capable of manipulation. He'd learned it at his mother's knee.  
  
She eyed him rather strangely. “Twelve years in that shithole and you’re still annoyingly beautiful. How is that even possible?”  
  
He poured his host a glass and then one for himself.  
  
“Pureblood,” he said, swallowing it all in one go.   
  
She snorted into her cup. “We both know that’s bullshit. Imagine what Borgin would look after twelve years.”  
  
“He wouldn’t last three days,” Sirius said, pouring himself another drink.   
  
She looked away, down at the counter. It was painted with different flowers all in shades of red and orange and white.   
  
“Impressive. You do that yourself?”  
  
“I charmed the design from a book and then painted it. I don’t know if anyone told you, but I tried to get you a trial. I knew it wasn’t you. I Saw it. I’d thought I was supposed to save Reg and then all of-“  
  
“Stop it.”   
  
“I was going to go there, to stop you, but Dumbledore was convinced I was the spy. He had me-“  
  
“STOP IT!” He roared, slamming his hands on counter. “It happened, alright?! It happened and nothing can make it unhappen, so stop it.”  
  
She pressed her pretty rosebud mouth into a thin line. It was obvious she wanted to say more, but mercifully remained quiet. The old poodle grumbled and huffed and laid back down when he realized his mum wasn’t in any danger. Sirius instantly feel guilty.   
  
“Look, I’m sorry. It’s-“  
  
“I’ll only ask you one more question and it’s all I’ll say of it. Were you and Peter blood brothers?”  
  
Sirius scoffed, pulling the pizza box closer. “I’m a Black, darling. I would have already cast those spells if we were.”  
  
She stabbed a piece of broccoli and glared at it. “Worth a try.”  
  
He studied her as they ate. She was deep in thought, her pale brows furrowed and her nose scrunched up. Absolutely adorable and absolutely insane. He had no doubt that if she had been able to do the blood spell, she’d go with him and guard the door while Sirius killed him slow. She’d even clean up after so he wouldn’t have to feel any remorse.   
  
‘Only killing innocents shreds the soul,’ she’d once said. Moody had started yelling at Dumbledore, Lily had burrowed herself under Sirius’s arm, and the Prewett twins had looked at Burke with unadulterated lust.   
  
“Did you fuck the Prewett twins?” Sirius asked.   
  
She choked on her whiskey, sputtering and wiping at her nose for a good while. Sirius grinned and bit into his pizza.   
  
“That’s none of your business!”

“You did then. Don’t snarl at me Burke, I don’t judge. I can respect that, even. Those two were a handful at the best of times. I can’t imagine what they were like in bed. Was it both at the same time?”  
  
She rolled eyes and stabbed another piece of penne. A familiar ring glinted as she did. An ourosboros, it’s scales black diamonds and sapphires. Sirius knew that ring. It had haunted him for over a decade.   
  
“You never married.”  
  
“Neither did you,” she spat back.   
  
“You still wear the ring.”  
  
She froze.   
  
“The dementors make you relive your worst memories. That night was one of them. I hated you so much back then, but now...Now I know how brave it was. Thank you for granting him mercy. I know you loved him.”  
  
She furiously blinked away tears.   
  
“It wasn’t like that,” she finally said. “Reg was gay.”  
  
“ _What?!_ ”  
  
“Oh, uh, homosexual.”  
  
“I know what gay means! I just...what?! Little Reggie liked it up the arse?!”  
  
“I think it was the other way around,” she said drily.   
  
“Oh, Merlin.” He tried very hard not to think, but his brain was a whirlwind. Eventually, they landed on a safe(r) shore. “Did Mum know?”  
  
“No. No one did except me and his partners. I swore not to tell, but it’s been a long time. I think he would have wanted you to know him.”  
  
“That night...that night you said I didn’t know him, that no one did, that he was the cleverest, bravest man you knew. What was he doing, Natalie?”   
  
She studied him again, this time with a sharper light in her eyes. Whatever she was looking for, she didn’t find it.   
  
I’ll tell you, Sirius Black, but only when you’re healthy enough to hide the Dark Lord’s secrets.”  
  
His heart raced. Something light and burning danced in his gut. “Then he-“  
  
“Only when you’re healthy.”  
  
“Swear it. One year.”  
  
He hadn’t felt like this since he slipped through the bars in his cell. He’d starved himself for five days to fit through, and had almost gotten caught slurping down a fish before that long, awful swim. She thought about it, her fork waving idly. Something must have occurred to her, because she smiled a wicked smile. He waited for that stirring of lust that would have happened once before but it never came. Fucking Azkaban.   
  
“Two years,” she bargained.   
  
“One.”  
  
“Two.”  
  
“Eighteen months.”  
  
Her eyes unfocused as she did the maths. “Nope. Twenty-four or no vow.”  
  
“Nineteen.”  
  
She sighed and went back to figuring something up in her head, then scowled and mumbled something about being a witch. She cast something and the date appeared. For two years from now. It whirled and whirled backwards as rotated her wand until it stopped on July.   
  
“Twenty’s the lowest I’ll go.”  
  
“You had to do all that to figure out how many months are between July and November.”  
  
“Don’t judge! My brain doesn’t work like that.”  
  
“Does it work at all?”   
  
“Fuck off, Black. Do you want the vow or not?”  
  
“Fine. Twenty months.”

She raised her wand and swished it counterclockwise. The tip glowed a sunshine yellow. Interesting. He would have taken her for the fiery red type. Maybe she really was just a happy soul. A happy soul that just happened to be cunning and ambitious and hiding Voldemort’s secrets.  
  
They were all going to die.   
  
“I, Natalie Burke, swear on my magic to explain the circumstances of Regulus Black’s death to Sirius Black within twenty months.”  
  
The yellow light flared and danced like a flame until it covered both their arms. It settled in and disappeared within seconds. The last time he’d seen a vow like that, it had been Prongs, who’s magic was violet and playful like the wind.   
  
“Within twenty months? Not twenty months from now.”  
  
She shrugged. “Seer.”  
  
Absolutely a lie. She said that the same way she used to say “American.” when she was asked why she’d done something strange. A convenient excuse for the idiots.

“Something’s going to happen at the end of next school year and you wanted an extra month for piece of mind.”  
  
“Something always happens at the end of Harry’s school years. You don’t have to be seer to know that.”  
  
“Is he in danger?”  
  
“He’s Harry Potter.”  
  
Sirius sighed and rested his head in his hands. The alcohol made his head swim. Poor Harry. He wanted to protect him, but it was hard protecting a teenager with a dark lord after him. Someone soft and sweet smelling wrapped themselves around him. He hesitated. He hadn’t been hugged in a long time, not since he’d told Harry goodbye. He forced himself relax into her warmth. She laid her head on his and ran her hand up and down his spine.   
  
“Stay with me, Sirius,” she whispered. “Eat and sleep and make yourself strong again. You felt my wards. Aberforth gave me his blood. It’s even spelled against Dumbledore. No one can find you and take you away.”  
  
“Buckbeak,” he managed to say.   
  
She pulled back, startled. “What?”  
  
He scrubbed his eyes with his hands and peered up at her. “Buckbeak. He’s a hippogriff. He’s-“  
  
“Oh, right. I’d forgotten about him.” She stared out the window as she thought. Her hand stayed on his shoulder, fingers dancing out a rhythm. “I can hide him in the basement until we work something out. Or maybe Hagrid can take him into the Forest. I know you don’t want to bring Harry into it, but one of Molly Weasley’s sons is a dragon handler in Romania. He might know someone. Ask Harry’s Weasley friend to set up a line of communication and I’ll write.”  
  
Sirius considered it. That, at least, he was okay with asking Harry for. Glad, even. It would make him feel involved without putting him in harm’s way.   
  
“Okay,” he agreed. Then, “which one?”  
  
“Little Charlie.” 

“They did alright for themselves. Ron said Bill is a cursebreaker. They’re good kids.”  
  
She hummed noncommittally. “I like Hermione better. She’s ruthless. I can’t wait to teach her how to duel.”  
  
They sat in companionable silence, her resting her chin on his head and him trying not to panic with nerves.   
  
“So you’ll do it, then? You’ll stay?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
She squeezed him again, this time hard enough to make his ribs hurt.   
  
“I wondered when the Americanisms were going to come out.”  
  
“I didn’t want to scare you off. Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”  
  
She dragged him through her flat, holding his hand all the while. He stared down at it for several minutes. He hadn’t held anyone’s hand since...since he’d spent a weekend shacked up with McKinnon in the war.   
  
Her bedroom was off the kitchen. She babbled away that she’d though about moving the door, but decided it was too convenient. The walls were painted an indigo navy, which contrasted nicely with her plush lavender bedding. A green snake named after a hot sauce called Tapatio snoozed contentedly in a massive tank.   
  
“He’s magical. Some asshole kid abandoned him in the common room my sixth year and he’s been with me ever since. He’s allowed to roam as he pleases, so don’t be startled if you walk out and find him curled up in a windowsill.“  
  
The bathroom was next. It had obviously been expanded, almost certainly without Ministry approval. A large triangular tub with jets and cushions sat proudly in the corner. A series of counters and glass cabinets took up the opposite wall. He figured the gilded mirror alone had to be worth half a thousand galleons.   
  
“Is your toilet gold, too?”  
  
She pointed at it, tucked away behind an ornate divider. “No, but it is charmed against Chimichanga, so don’t go drinking out of it.”  
  
He grimaced. He’d never admit it, but it was very lucky she’d warned him. It was one of Padfoot’s- definitely not Sirius’s- favorite things to do. The porcelain was always so cold and refreshing against his fur and the bowl made a pleasant echoing noise. One simply couldn't understand if they didn’t walk on four feet.   
She grabbed his hand again and tugged him into the guest room.   
  
“This where you’ll be staying, unless you feel like sleeping on the couch. Feel free to do that, by the way. I spend most of my time painting and reading, so I won’t be much of a bother.“  
  
It wasn’t his taste, but it looked cozy enough. Dark emerald walls cradled a bed draped in white linen. She’d painted bohemian designs on each of the dresser drawers.  
  
“You can paint it if you want. We can go shopping for furniture too. I’ve always enj-“   
  
“Burke. It’s your house.”  
  
She wrapped her arm around his and leaned up against him. He glanced down at her, but she wouldn’t meet his eye. She watched the glided snake slither around the heavy cherry mirror propped up against the wall. Her hair was parted crooked.   
  
“I know,” she said. “It’s only....I’m excited, Sirius. I know we were never friends, but all mine died. I’ve only got Remus left and he’s never around. I know it’s nothing like you went through, but those of us that fought have lived very lonely lives.”  
  
“What about Pandora?” He asked.   
  
“Blew herself up years ago, right in front of her daughter.”  
  
He winced.   
  
She sighed and extracted herself from him. “I’ll let you clean up and rest. We’ll go shopping for clothes and a wand tomorrow.”  
  
“Alright then.”  
  
“Knock if you need me. Help yourself to anything you want.”  
  
She made to leave, then paused when she saw her dog panting in the doorway.  
  
“You want Chimi?”  
  
Sirius had been sleeping curled up next to Buckbeak since he fled Hogwarts. It might take him a while to fall asleep by himself.   
  
“If you don’t mind.”  
  
“Not at all. I have to warn you that he snores.”  
  
She left him standing in her guest room with Chimi wagging his tail. The room seemed to dim without her presence. He wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the bed, but he knew he needed to wash up. 

“Come on then,” he told the dog. “Help me sort through this bathroom, yeah?”

* * *

The months that followed were difficult for Sirius. Burke did her best, but there were some nights he transformed into Padfoot and curled up at the foot of her bed with Chimi. He had his good days, too. Days where he forgot he was a fugitive. She’d found a a reliable Polyjuice dealer (the goblins hadn’t thought twice about Sirius Black, mass murder, coming to withdraw galleons) and spent evenings at muggle cinemas and music shops. He bought a Walkman and spent four days getting it to work around so much magic. She’d stared at him a long time when he’d burst into the kitchen.   
  
“It’s really unfair how clever you are,” she’d grumbled, and turned back to her cookbook.  
  
(She was an excellent cook and spent most of her life trying to replicate the Mexican food she’d grown up eating. Sirius was more than happy to test her dishes.)  
  
Mooney came over for Christmas. The three of them spent their days debating magical theory until Sirius got bored and dropped Tapatio on Remus’s head. The snake twisted this way and that to soak up all the fear and drama it had brought about. Burke spent a good half hour lamenting that she wasn’t a Parselmouth, which stirred another conversation about whether Parselmagic existed.   
  
New Year involved copious amounts of Polyjuice and firewhiskey at the Hog’s Head. She kissed both him and Remus on the cheek at midnight, then danced off to flirt outrageously with a table of vampires. The last two marauders -because fuck Peter Pettigrew -kept a close eye on her. Any time one of them got too close, Remus would subtly shift in his seat and Sirius would let the Black madness show in his eyes. They backed off soon enough after that and Burke happily sauntered off to a young werewolf. He panicked, glanced at Remus, and ran off. Even worse, she sidled up to a group of wild looking warlocks next.   
  
“She’s as like to challenge them to a duel as she is to take one of them home.”  
  
Remus cocked his head to the side. “Would that bother you?”  
  
Sirius downed his drink and poured another. “I’m not Regulus.”  
  
Mooney blanched and left to get another basket of chips. It was cruel, but Sirius had too many other things going on inside his head to try and sort out Natalie Burke as well. She was beautiful and clever and dangerous, but he didn’t like to think about what Azkaban did to the part of him that would have pursued her and caught her and made her submit. That had been the best part, watching the strong ones give in and let themselves be conquered. He didn’t know if still he had that in him.   
  
Remus eventually found a quiet, blushing witch to go home with. Burke saw him leave and came back to the table. They got uproariously drunk and didn’t bother staggering home until Aberforth kicked them out.  
  
“I want a taco,” she said.  
  
“I want to be me again," he said.  
  
She stumbled and peered up at him with narrowed eyes. “I forget you’re under Polyjuice sometimes. I just see you. And sometimes Regulus, but that’s okay.”  
  
Sirius didn’t correct her. They guided one another up the stairs. When he let his hand graze her breast, no warmth stirred in him. Though honestly, that could have easily been the two bottles of whiskey the three of them had shared. They eventually stumbled into the kitchen where they leaned against the counter to down glasses of water and hiccup and burp.   
  
“Stay with me,” she said.   
  
His heart nearly came out of his chest. “I don’t-I can’t-“  
  
“Can’t what?” She slurred.  
  
She looked so adorably confused that he realized she hadn't meant it in the way he had feared. He’d been so afraid of her asking that he’d panicked.   
  
“Nothing. Let’s go to bed.”  
  
They both struggled to get their shoes off and get through the door at the same time. He managed it first and shrugged off his shirt before pulling the duvet down. He fell face first on heavenly silk. Silk sheets were one of the many things he denied himself in his rebellion. Burke’s philosophy was growing on him though. If he had enough money to buy a small muggle nation, why not use it on silk sheets?  
  
He was mostly asleep when he felt the bed dip under her weight. He was too far gone and too drunk to be nervous. Then, a sharp, stinging pain hit his arse. He clamored up in alarm, but Burke was already collapsing on top of him, forcing him down into the too-soft mattress.  
  
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Wazzere.”  
  
She was heavy and hot and already drooling on his back. Sirius slept better than he had in nearly a decade. 

  
After that night, when things got rough, he pulled off his shirt and climbed into her bed as Sirius. She never said anything about it, never brought it up, only let him drag her arm around his waist and cuddled against him. Sometimes he woke up to braids in his hair.   
  
In late January, Charlie Weasley showed up at her shop with three of his coworkers. They all gave Padfoot and Chimi enthusiastic rubs and laughed uproariously when they saw Buckbeak surrounded by crates of beauty products.   
  
“Didn’t we just come here a couple of years ago to sneak a baby dragon out of Hogwarts? How does your brother get himself into these situations?” One witch asked.   
  
Another witch gasped and said, “Oooh! This curl cream takes ages to ship to the reserve. Can I buy some off you?”  
  
“Are you single?” The other wizard asked.   
  
“Oi, watch it Blevins. Norberta will get jealous.”  
  
In the end, Sirius was glad his feathered friend got his freedom but rather sad to see him go. A phase of his life was over, a chapter finished. He hadn’t a clue what the next one would be. That night, Burke played chess with him until the shop opened.   
  
With the basement free of any living beings, they had a space to duel. There was only rule: don’t cast what you can’t heal. Sirius was quicker. Even after twelve years in Azkaban, his reflexes were on par. As soon as she cast something, he dodged or deflected it with ease. The tricky part about Burke, however, was that she was creative. She’d give him a wedgie to catch him off guard and then cast a welting hex, their substitute for lethal curses. Hours later they sat on boxes and she blabbered away about nonsense while he healed their welts and injuries. Every once in a while, Aberforth would slip in and kick their arses. Those nights were his favorite.   
  
By spring, Sirius could sleep throughout the night in his own bed. He didn’t feel the need to scrounge food down anymore. He had a routine, a very boring one, but he was man enough to admit that perhaps boring was what he needed at the moment. It was what Harry needed from him, so he would suffer through it. He was restless, though, and Burke could tell.   
  
“I know you’re antsy, but you’ve got it all wrong.” she said. She was frowning morosely down at her last nacho. “A storm’s coming, Black. The shit’s about to hit the fan and we’ll be missing this apartment. Trust me.”  
  
He did, funnily enough. He stared up at the ceiling far into the night, her words playing over and over in his head.   
  
_A storm’s coming._


	5. Chapter 5

**August 1977**

Regulus strolled down Knockturn in his summer robes. The heat made it a slow Tuesday afternoon. There were the usual hags with their trays of 'meat snacks' and the occasional shopper, but there wasn’t much people watching to be done. Shame, that. He still had a few hours to kill before he was expected at home. Mother was in a particularly horrendous mood and Reg hadn’t had the patience to deal with her. He missed Sirius sometimes. Missed how he’d tell Mother to go fuck herself to distract her from harassing the both of them.   
  
He was so lost in his brooding that he nearly knocked into a girl as they rounded the same corner. She was pretty enough, but it was her inappropriate attire that caught his attention. She wore an open witch’s robe that stopped at her knees, which was normal enough, but underneath was an obviously muggle sundress. Instead of respectable boots or lace ups, she’d hastily thrown on what Regulus was pretty sure were called Converse. He nearly gagged when he noticed that her socks had snakes charmed to slither around the cuff. He hadn’t seen such a thing since he was seven. Honestly, her outfit might not have been out of place on a Hogsmeade weekend, but this was Knockturn Alley. She could be killed for wearing something so obviously muggle.   
  
“Oh, hello! Sorry! I was reading,” she said.   
  
She waved a thick book around. He caught sight of the title _Magick Most Evile_ and cursed, shoving her arm down and dragging her down a set of stairs that led to a basement shop catering to vampires.   
  
“Are you mad?!” He demanded. “You can’t just carry that around in broad daylight!”  
  
She raised her ginger brows. She was even prettier than he’d initially thought. Her long strawberry hair had turned blonde in places and she didn’t bother glamoring the smattering of freckles on her nose and cheeks. She might have been the kind of wife he’d want if he wanted a wife at all.   
  
“It’s Knockturn,” she said, as if that explained everything.   
  
“Are you American?”  
  
She smiled brilliantly. “Yep! Natalie Burke, pleased to meet you.”  
  
She held out a hand. Regulus looked down at it with a raised brow.   
  
“I didn’t know there are Burkes in America.”  
  
“There aren’t,” she said, still with her obliviously happy smile. “My ancestor switched the name over to Doves to try and trick people into thinking he was a good guy, but the whole dark wizard thing kind of ruined it. Then when I arrived, my uncles thought it best if we switched my name over what with the whole dark wizard thing going on.”  
  
“Dark wizard thing,” He repeatedly dumbly.   
  
“Yep!” She said, popping the p. “Who’re you? Do you go to Hogwarts? What year are you in? What’s your house?”  
  
“I’m Regulus Black, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.”  
  
“Awesome! I’d kill to get a glimpse of your library.”  
  
He glanced down at the book in her hands. “I don’t doubt it.”  
  
“So? What year are you?”  
  
He sighed. “Fifth. Come along, I’ll escort you back to your uncle’s shop.”  
  
She took his arm easily enough, but cheerfully announced, “Can’t. They’ve got something dangerous they don’t want me poking around in. How about a walk? I don’t know anybody under the age of sixty. It’s boring.”  
  
“Very well,” he conceded. He grimaced when he realized she was still carrying the book around. “Here, allow me.”  
  
He took it from her and shrunk it so that it would fit in her robe pocket.   
  
“Ooo! What’s that spell?”  
  
He looked down at her strangely. She was quite short and there was a naivety to her, but she had the curves and face of a witch. She had to be his age, if not as old as Sirius. Maybe she really was mad, or simple at the very least. “Aren’t you a pureblood? And how old are you?”  
  
“Fifteen. And I am, but there was an accident. No one knows what happened, but my parents are both dead and I awoke with amnesia. Don’t remember a thing!”  
  
“You sound oddly happy about that.”  
  
“Well to be honest, it’s only officially an accident. Apparently, my parents had a... _difficult_ relationship with authorities and other business owners on the West Coast. It’s probably best if I don’t know what happened that night. Guilty by association and all that.”  
  
“Fair enough.” Perhaps she wasn’t as naive as she seemed to be. “Will you be attending Hogwarts, then?”  
  
“Yes! I’m so excited! Are you in Slytherin? You said you’ll be in fifth year, right? Maybe we’ll have classes together.”  
  
“Yes. Though if you don’t mind me asking...do you remember much magic?”  
  
“Not a lick,” she announced cheerfully.   
  
“How is that going to work, then?”  
  
“Uncle Burke hired a tutor and I’ll have special classes at Hogwarts up until I’m caught up. I’ve caught on easily, though. Uncle Borgin thinks I might subconsciously remember it.”  
  
“That’s interesting,” Reg said, and he meant it. The hat briefly considered sorting him into Ravenclaw before sending him to Slytherin. “What house do you think you’ll be?”  
  
“No idea! I respond to fire more than the other elements, but I don’t think I’m a Gryffindor.”  
  
“Really?” He asked drily.   
  
“Oh, totally. I’m not one of those people who charge into things blindly. You should have seen my lists for the move. Aunt Vernice swears I’ll be in Hufflepuff.”  
  
Reg snorted, something his mother would no doubt hex him for. “One doesn’t need to be a seer to see that.”  
  
She elbowed him in the ribs playfully. “I’m optimistic and outgoing, yes, and I don’t mind hard work, but I think I’m too morally grey to be a Hufflepuff.”  
  
They both glanced at her left pocket.   
  
“You could be a Ravenclaw,” he pointed out.   
  
“I wouldn’t mind. I like learning. I think I’ll be in Slytherin, though.”  
  
He couldn’t help the sudden laugh that escaped him. “Merlin, no!”  
  
“I’m sneaky!”  
  
He pointedly looked at her pocket. “I caught you walking around with a banned book in plain sight.”  
  
“Books should never be banned,” she said, suddenly serious. “Freedom of knowledge is one of the pillars of democracy.”  
  
“Ravenclaw.”  
  
“Slytherin.”  
  
“I bet you ten galleons.”  
  
“I bet you ten galleons and a family curse.”  
  
He raised a brow. “Unexpected. Very Slytherin of you, but you allegedly have amnesia. Do you even know any family curses?”  
  
“My uncle is Benedict Burke. The first thing he taught me was a slicing hex. Aunt Vernice is teaching me love potions and nothing else. Says it’s the only thing a witch could ever need.”  
  
“That sounds like Mother.”  
  
“They’re psycho, every one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I know how to defend myself, but the very concept of love potions is horrible.”  
  
“You know, Natalie Burke, you’re an alright witch despite your terrible fashion sense.”  
  
She eyed him from head to toe. “Do you have a girlfriend?”  
  
Regulus immediately dropped her arm.   
  
“And here I thought you were alright,” he said coldly.   
  
She narrowed her eyes, a strange pale color somewhere between blue and green. “Excuse _you._ I just wanted someone to go shopping with. I figured since we get on well, I’d get along with her too. I don’t know remember anything. I don’t know how to be a witch, let alone a pureblood one, and surely you of all people understand what a message clothes can send.”  
  
“Forgive me. It was very rude of me to assume.”  
  
She frowned up at him. “Forgiven, I guess. But only if you tell me what the dress code really is. I don’t think the handbook has been updated since 1935.”  
  
“Why don’t I take you shopping? I’ve got quite the eye for fashion. Are you free tomorrow?”  
  
“You want to hang out with me again?”  
  
“I’m a Black. I know better than to question fate.”  
  
He’d almost literally ran into a transfer student carrying an illegal book about the dark arts. If that wasn’t a sign from the gods, he didn’t know what else could be. She was suddenly serious, her pleasant face all hard lines. Was this the true Natalie Burke? Was the bubbly, happy girl a mask?  
  
“I thought the same thing,”she said. “I just didn’t want to weird you out.”  
  
“Again, I’m a Black. We’re not particularly squeamish.”  
  
“I guess you wouldn’t be. I’ll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron around one?”  
  
“No. It’s unseemly to leave you without an escort. I’ll pick you up from the shop at one.”  
  
“Alright. Until next time, Regulus Black.”  
  
Regulus knew, somehow, that he’d met someone very important and dear to him that fateful Tuesday. Strange that she put him in mind of his brother.


	6. Chapter 6

**Late June 1994**

Sirius had just popped off to London for curry takeout. They ate on the couch. Burke gave him nasty looks every time he tossed a morsel to Chimi, but all he had to do was give her a pout and she caved. 

“Will you let me renovate Grimmauld?” She suddenly asked.

“What?!”

“We’ll have to go there sometime. It’s been years, but I remember how gaudy and depressing it was. It needs a makeover. A new look for a new legacy.”

“I’m not going back.”

She sighed and slurped her soda. That was one of her quirks she could truthfully blame on being American. No one drank as much soda as they did. 

“Sirius.” He cringed. She only called him Sirius when she was serious. “Think about it. It’s massive, magical, and in the heart of London. It’s the most convenient place for Order headquarters. You don’t have to live there. We can rent a place across town if you want, but we’ll have to go back.”

“I won’t be staying long enough to renovate it,” he said stubbornly.

She rolled her eyes. “Well I’ll volunteer to take your place if you-“ She suddenly bolted upright, her pale wand in hand.

_(“Oh, Ollivander loved me. Cherry and dragon heartstring, hard, fourteen and a half inches. Went on and on for ages about power and lethality. I think Great-Uncle Nigel almost keeled over in anticipation.”)_

“What is it?” He snapped, already drawing his own wand. This one was still ebony and phoenix, but it wasn’t as as unyielding as his old one had been.

“Dumbledore,“ she hissed.

He instantly relaxed, slumping back in his seat. “Only you and Voldemort would react to his presence like that.”

She turned, her blue-green eyes alight, and swore, “I won’t let him take you.”

“Merlin, Burke, just go let him through your ridiculous illegal wards.”

“Fine,” she gritted out. “But don’t expect me to save your ass if he locks you up.”

She stomped all the way down the stairs. Sirius scratched Chimichanga’s little afro in thought. It was true that Dumbledore treated her differently than he had the other members. Granted, she wasn’t an official member at all, just showed up asking for help one night and only fought when she was sure she would live. He had judged her for that once, but he understood now. There were too many things she loved: her pets, her friends, painting, learning. She wouldn’t let it all go without a fight.

Dumbledore predictably came in first, dressed in a pale robe embroidered with dancing strawberries. He took in the room with bright eyes.

“Lovely, absolutely lovely. You are very talented, Ms. Burke.”

She kicked the door shut behind her. “It’s Natalie. I would call people who torture each other intimately acquainted, wouldn’t you?”

Sirius inhaled sharply. He had suspected, but to hear it was something else altogether. Dumbledore, for his part, took it in stride.

“We must all make difficult decisions in difficult times,” he said, voice grave. “There are few things I regret in life and chief among them is not trusting you. I wonder nearly every day what the world would be like if I had listened to you.”

Burke stared at him for a long time before her shoulders dropped the tiniest bit. “It might have been shit. It’s probably best it worked out this way.”

She sat next to Sirius, though she did not kick her feet on table like he did. She was stiff and alert, watching their guest with sharp eyes. Chimichanga jumped up between them and pawed at Sirius to resume his Afro scratches.

“Sirius, you look remarkably well. This must be an excellent healing environment.”

“It’s the bathroom,” he confided. “Puts the prefect’s to shame.”

“I didn’t know you were a prefect, Black,” she drawled.

“Oh, I was a model student, Burke. It’s a shame you only got me for one year. Wouldn’t you agree, Headmaster?”

Dumbledore nodded gravely. “I’m sure Minerva would agree as well.”

“How is Minnie?”

“Minerva is as well as can be with Weasley twins running about. She will be glad to know you asked.”

A weight lifted off Sirius that he hadn’t realized he was carrying. “You told her.”

“I did, but no other. I assumed you-“

Sirius waved his hand dismissively. “Your brother figured it out.”

“Ah.” Dumbledore settled further into the armchair. “I must confess that I’m not at all surprised. He has never been one to trust authority.”

“He mentioned a goat,” Sirius hedged.

Before Dumbledore could answer, Burke scoffed loudly.

“That was the worst line of questioning I have ever seen. You’ll never get answers like that.”

Sirius scowled. “I don’t see you trying!”

“Because it isn’t worth it! It doesn’t benefit us in any way.”

“You are such a Slytherin.”

She turned her nose up in the air. “Thank you.”

Sirius rolled his eyes and gestured at Dumbledore in a ‘ _See what I have to deal with_ ’ way, but the headmaster was looking between them with a glint of curiosity behind his spectacles. He straightened when he met Sirius’s questioning gaze and abruptly changed the subject.

“The task is in three days,” he said.

“I know,” Sirius said, burying his face in his hands. He didn’t need reminding. He hated behind stuck here, so isolated and unable to help Harry. He’d given him a list of spells, but he wanted to teach him, to hug him and tell him how proud James and Lily would be.

Chimi slapped his heavy paw at Sirius’s head.

“He doesn’t like playing peek-a-boo,” Burke said quietly.

Sirius relaxed into the sofa, pulling Chimi into his lap. There was a familiar thud and soon, the tell-tale scrape of scales on wood. Tapatio slithered in, his tongue flickering at them. He slumped morosely as he hissed something.

“Sorry, tío. No speaker this time,” Burke said.

He hissed something else and turned back around to sulk in his tank.

“How fascinatingly intelligent,” Dumbledore said. “He’s magical, I assume?”

She nodded. “We found him abandoned in the common room so I claimed him. I always worried the apartment wasn’t enough for him, but Harry was kind enough to translate for us.”

“He thinks he’s a house cat,” Sirius explained.

Burke rolled her eyes. “Does not.”

“Young Mr. Potter is the reason I’m here,” Dumbledore said.

Burke glanced between him and Dumbledore.

“Should I leave?” She asked, trying to be respectful but loathe to leave him alone to Dumbledore. Sirius smiled fondly. She was just as loyal as Prongs and Mooney.

“I think not,” Dumbledore said, once more looking between them strangely. “We may even need your assistance. You see, it is tradition for the champions to spend the day of the final task with their families. The Weasleys will be attending, but I think Harry would like to see Sirius more than anyone.”

Sirius’s heart began beating very, very fast. He rounded on Burke. “How much Polyjuice have we got left?”

“Enough,” she said slowly. “But we’d be out for most of the summer if-”

“I’ll be there,” Sirius told Dumbledore.

“But as who?” Burke protested. “Harry is reclusive. There aren’t many people who wouldn’t attract attention.”

Dumbledore cleared his throat. Sirius might even say he looked nervous. “Remus will be attending as well. Natalie’s friendship with him has always been heavily scrutinized. No one would think twice about seeing her on his arm.”

Oh. Fuck. She liked Sirius, cared for him even, but that didn’t mean she trusted him to wear her skin for an entire day. As affectionate as she was, she was also very Slytherin.

To his utter astonishment, Burke only shrugged.

“Alright, but if you’re going to do this, you’re going to do this right. That means suffering through a half hour of beauty charms and makeup application.”

Something very heavy settled in Sirius’s throat. There were too many things he wanted to say, too many ways to fuck it all up, so he only nodded.

“And...” She shifted closer, leaning over Chimi, and glanced hesitantly at Dumbledore, who immediately started humming and studying the painting she’d begun two days ago. “Sirius, I’m very affectionate. You’ll have to do a lot of touching. Are you okay with that?”

“It’s Mooney.”

“No, it’s not,” she said quietly. “Being a beautician is like being a therapist in some ways. I have a relationship with each of my clients. There are two Gryffindor girls in Harry’s year, for example, that will undoubtedly kiss you in greeting. Can you handle that?”

“I’ll do anything for Harry.”

She eyed him closely. He suddenly realized how close they were, how she was leaning, how her camisole didn’t do much to cover her tits, the big, round tits that he would have to try not to look at or touch or- Merlin. Remus would never let him live it down.

“Also,” she said in a louder tone, inviting Dumbledore back into the conversation, “I’ll be attending the task myself. Not only would it look weird, but I refuse to not go. You’ll have to get someone else for that or just come as Padfoot.”

“Has Harry been seen with Padfoot?” Dumbledore asked.

“Yes. We’ve gone hiking. All the locals know who he is. Some of the younger students even like to think of me as their own pet. It wouldn’t be too odd for her to bring him.”

“So it is sorted. Remus will be here to pick you up that morning.“

“Are you talking to him?” Burke asked. “Tell him to get his head out of his ass and spend the night here.”

Dumbledore’s beard twitched. “I’ll pass on your offer. Also, if it is not presumptuous, I would like to ask if I could purchase one of your paintings.”

Burke blinked at him several times, then tilted her head suspiciously. “Why?”

“Oh, for several reasons. I enjoy art, being one. The main reason, however, is that I would like to be reminded that love and courage can be found in the most unlikely of places and the darkest of times. I have found that Slytherin turns out the most loyal wizards and witches of us all.”

It took a lot of effort for Sirius not to burst out laughing at the expression on her face. It warred between exasperation, fondness, and horror before she managed to clear it of everything.

“Okay,” she finally said.

He couldn’t hold back his snort at her overly calm tone.

“On that note, I have another proposition. One that will undoubtedly be the cause of a long debate. It is time for the Order to be regrouped and I would like to use Grimmauld Place-“

“Fuck,” Sirius swore vehemently.

“Fine,” Burke said quickly. “But you can’t make him live there.”

“It is one thing for Sirius to go hiking before the war breaks out in earnest, but the enemy recognizes him as a, forgive me, serious threat. Peter Pettigrew is still at large. It will only be a matter of time before Padfoot is revealed. They will do everything in their power to send you back to Azkaban. You are also simply the best choice as the Order’s live-in. You have no-“

“Finish that sentence and I’ll enact that ward,” Burke said coldly.

The headmaster did not appear insulted. In fact, the glint from earlier was back stronger than before. Sirius wasn’t sure he liked that glint. 

“He’ll go, but I’m going too,” Burke said. ”I’ll sell the shop or close it up. And when he needs a break, he’ll get one.”

“We will have to agree to disagree and revisit your second stipulation later on. The first was expected.”

“I will also not be turning over my Poly dealer. Any polyjuice purchases I make will be for my use alone.”

“Very well.”

“I also-“

“I’m right fucking here,” Sirius barked.

She rounded on him, pale eyes alight. “As Black’s closest friend and housemate, I also get complete authority on renovation plans.”

He laid his head back on the couch, staring at the speckled ceiling.

“Mooney-“

“Remus can suck my-“

“I find that acceptable, Ms. Burke,” Albus said, raising his voice. Then, in a more gentle tone, “Will you be joining the Order this time around?”

Sirius turned to watch her. She had apparently already decided, because she tossed her hair over her shoulder and took a deep breath.

“I cannot vow to put the lives of the innocent above all others. Slytherins are indeed loyal. I put the lives of the people I love above all others. There isn’t a thing anyone can say to change my mind.”

She stared back at them both defiantly. Sirius grinned. There she was. There was the Natalie he used to hate so much, the one that cast those damn curses like they were sparks. The one that came alive on the battlefield, her eyes burning with desire and adrenaline as she shattered lungs and burst hearts in their chests. The one that threw her head back and laughed when an opponent’s Unforgivable wasn’t quite up to par.

Dumbledore regarded her calmly. “Would you be willing to swear a modified vow? I’ve done so before.”

She nodded. “Yes, I can do that.”

“Excellent. I shall let you know when I manage to write a draft. What do the two of you say to visiting Grimmauld Place with me a week after term ends?”

Sirius sighed, but nodded. He didn’t bother to listen to them exchange pleasantries. He stared up at the ceiling again, scratching Chimi’s ears. She’d tried to warn him. She’d tried to give him time to accept the idea.

 _His closest friend_ , she’d said.

Strange to hear that from his brother’s killer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is of my opinion that it’s an unspoken rule that you don’t use polyjuice to turn into someone that’s a werewolf. It just seems like way too many things could go wrong. That’s why he couldn’t go as Remus.
> 
> I guess, technically, he could have gone as Bill or Charlie, but there’s no fun in that. graphic nudity. Flirting but no smut.

Over the past six or seven months, Sirius had gotten very accustomed to drinking other people’s hair. In the beginning, he’d been fascinated with the different colors and tastes. The potion had soon lost its novelty and he’d quickly been slamming them back like shots of Burke’s tequila. This vial was very different.

Tentatively, he dropped a blonde hair into the sludge. It bubbled and bubbled and eventually smoothed into a bright pink. He smiled, eyes crinkling up at the corners. Of course.

“Well?” She called through the door.

He’d refused to let her and Moony in. It was strange enough to change into a woman, let alone a woman he was very good friends with. He was sure to embarrass himself and Sirius Black could not ever remember being embarrassed.

“Mooney wins,” he shouted.

“Proof,” Mooney called.

Sirius muttered a curse and quickly wrapped a towel around his hips. He threw the door open, holding the little tube of liquid out for them to see.

“Ooh! I’m pretty!” Burke cried.

“Not as pretty as me, kitten,” he crooned.

She didn’t take the bait. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side. “I want to be you one day. I bet you’re purple.”

Remus chuckled. “Or pink.”

“Every one wants to be me,” Sirius said.

He waited long enough to watch them roll their eyes in synchronicity before slamming the door in their faces. The towel dropped to the floor in a soft heap. Tapatio immediately slithered over to curl up in it. The snake had sensed that something exciting and came to make himself involved. He really was quite the drama queen. He had amused Harry to no end.

Right, Harry. This was for Harry.

With that thought, he swallowed the polyjuice in one go. Sirius felt his face screw up at the tartness.

First, there was an explosion of growth on his scalp as his hair thinned and grew and lightened. Next, everything seemed to shrink into his torso. His arms and legs kept reaching in and in, all while his arse and chest swole and swole until he thought he might burst. Then,

his bones rearranged themselves. His hips exploded out and his ribs cinched themselves in until he let out a strangled curse.

Finally, when it was over, he let go of his tight grip on the counter.

And promptly fell on his arse. Things jiggled.

“Padfoot?” Remus called worriedly.

Sirius had done many things, but he’d never jiggled.

He couldn’t help it. He looked.

Merlin, she was fit. His stomach clenched with a crippling rush of desire, made all the worse because he hadn’t felt anything close to it in literal decades. He stared down to where his cock should be twitching, saw that there was something much, much sweeter than a cock, and made himself lie back on the floor.

He’d been doing well, all things considered. He didn’t shovel his food into his face like it was his last meal and he’d only slept in Burke’s bed twice last month. Of course he’d have a fucking meltdown on the day he absolutely did not have time for a meltdown.

Would he be hard right now? Or was it just that she was capable of feeling lust? Was it always this overwhelming for women? Or just her? Or just him being put in a body capable of sex? Or just him feeling it for the first time in a long time? Or just him having a witch so curvy be the first naked one he’d seen in almost fifteen years?

Unbidden, an image of trimmed hair nestled between smooth thighs seared across his mind.

Oh fuck. fuck fuck FUCK.

This was bad.

This was really, really bad.

He should not have agreed to this.

Sirius was so deep in despair that he hardly heard the door open. He jolted upright, or tried to. The usual strength wasn’t there and the new things growing out of his chest made it incredibly awkward.

Burke tilted her head to the side as she examined herself sprawled out on the bathroom floor. He twitched. He wasn’t sure if he should cover himself.

“He’s okay. Just fell,” she announced.

To his utter horror, she raised her wand and cast a muffliato at the door. She never looked away as she padded forward to sit beside him. He tried very hard not to look at her. He knew what was just underneath that short nightdress, knew what awaited him if he pulled up the hem.

“Are you okay?” She asked. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”

“You’d know,” he grunted, letting his slam back against the floor.

Pettigrew. Pettigrew and his twitchy nose and his hairy knuckles and-

“It’s okay if you looked. I’d look.”

He glanced up. She was utterly sincere, her pale gaze searing into his.

“I looked.”

Her eyes roved down his new body curiously.

“How are you so bloody calm?!” He barked.

“Occlumency. I’m freaking out on the inside,” she said calmly. With a small smile, she fixed her gaze on his. “I’ll tell you what I’m thinking ifyou tell me what you’re thinking.”

Hesitantly, he nodded.

“This is really fucking bizarre,” she said, her voice shaking the slightest bit. “Just so fucking bizarre. Like what the fuck. Seeing yourself is bad enough but seeing your own face make a face that someone else makes and seeing your body held like they hold their own body is really, really fucking weird.”

Sirius met her gaze straight on and said, “I’m terrified.”

“Oh, me too.”

“WHAT? WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TERRIFIED ABOUT? I’VE GOT BREASTS. BREASTS!”

She laughed a strange laugh that almost sounded like a sob. “You’re smarter than that, Sirius. Think! You’re an incredibly handsome man and I’m a woman in my thirties and you’re a naked me!”

She waved her hand at him frantically. “Look! No amount of stairs will get my ass nearly as tight as it was before. My stomach is soft even after working out like I do and I have to apply like ten magical creams to keep the cellulite out of my thighs.”

“What?” He cried, bewildered. He stared down at her tits, how round and soft they were, how pink her nipples were, how her small waist tapered out into full hips, and said, “It can’t get any better than this!”

He realized what he’d said as soon as it came out of his mouth. He felt an split second of mortification, then remembered that he was Sirus Black and Sirius Black did not get embarrassed, and met her gaze fiercely. They stared at each other for a long while. Sirius was almost confused until he realized she was waiting on his truth.

“I’m terrified,” he said again, fighting past the fear and hesitation gripping his throat. “I haven’t...You’re the first woman I’ve seen naked since 1981. I don’t...I could appreciate women, but it was like looking at a nice painting. It didn’t stir anything. Not until now, at least, and I’m terrified it’s just because I’m not in my body.”

As an afterthought, he added, “I suppose I should apologize for sneaking a glance, though I swear the second was almost an accident.”

“Oh, Sirius,” she sighed. She made as if to run a hand through his hair, blanched, and then let her hand fall back to her side. “I wouldn’t have let you have my hair if I didn’t mind you looking.”

He leaned up on his elbows, peering up at her speculatively. “What’s that mean?”

She opened her mouth, blanched again, and shook her head.

“I can’t have this conversation with you looking like me. It’s too weird.”

He frowned. That was too good an evasion technique, but the circumstances were very weird. She stood, offering him a hand, and pulled him up. It was very disconcerting to be at eye level with her. She seemed to agree, if he frown was anything to go by.

“Panties first.”

She’d dragged him shopping the day before. They bought two of everything, down to the knickers. He had been very adamant about that part. The thought of wearing her knickers felt inherently wrong and creepy. How that was creepier than wearing her body, he didn’t know, but it had made him feel as slimy as Snivellus.

He stepped into the knickers, plain black cotton, and pulled them up, trying very hard not to look at his chest as he did so.

The dreaded bra was shoved in his face next. He tried to remember how the girls he’d shagged had put them back on, but he drew up blank. It was something like backwards and inside out or upside down or maybe all three, then you buckled it and twisted it around. He would have figured it out, but he kept getting distracted so he let Burke help him instead.

“I don’t think it’s physical,” she said as she locked it into place. He immediately wanted to take it back off. “You’ve been through a lot, Sirius. It only makes sense that you’ve got more important things on your mind.”

He thought about that as she dressed him. First came some kind of bright red camisole with lace at the top and then the pale blue dress. It was soft, but tight and restrictive, forcing his legs to stick together. He watched in the mirror as she smoothed it out.

“How do I know?” He asked.

She raised one shoulder in a shrug. “You try.”

Before he could ask what that meant, she waved her wand to unward the door. Moony came in, took one look at the both of them, and went right back out. Tapatio followed him eagerly. He’d once told Harry that Remus’s height and long limbs made him the best to climb.

“I hope Tio bites him,” Sirius muttered darkly.

“Here, put these on and sit down.”

They’d agreed on charmed heels that prevent the wearer from falling. Sirius had initially protested, but she pointed out that she hadn’t worn anything without a heel since the war. He’d agreed, very reluctantly, and now he wished he’d been more assertive. Even sitting down, the muscles in his legs were stretched in an uncomfortable way.

Sirius was used to long hair, at least. He couldn’t ever remember it being above his shoulders. The makeup, however, was something altogether foreign. It mostly smelled good, but it itched at his eyes and made him feel like he had something on his mouth, which technically, he supposed he did.

“Want to fuck with Remus?” She asked.

He just stared at her. Of course he did.

A half hour later, she looked just the same as he did, down to the dreaded serpent ring. They walked out into the living room and stared down at Remus, both brows raised impertinently. He blinked several times and Sirius smirked, ruining the game. He knew exactly what was running through his head. The same sorts of thoughts had ran been running through his for the past half hour.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius hooked his elbow around Remus’s, leaning heavily against his arm. He didn’t like being this short at all. He swore to himself to try and never make fun of her for it again unless the joke was too good to pass up. The two of them were waiting with the Weasleys in a cozy room off the Great Hall. They had been told that Remus was escorting someone very important to Harry under polyjuice. If they thought it odd, they didn’t let it show.

The champions burst through in a stream of color. Diggory and Krum were first, hurrying over to their small array of guests. The veela was next, pushing past them both to gather a little blonde girl in her arms. Harry came in after, head down and dragging his feet. He seemed to steel himself before he finally looked up. His face went from dejected acceptance, to shock, then morphed into a smile so big it made his eyes squint.

Sirius barked out a delighted laugh before he could stop himself. Harry froze, looked over at him, and erupted into a fit of laughter. It carried on so long he got tears in his eyes and clutched his side in pain. Mooney chuckled too, leading their pack to circle around him.

“What are you all doing here?” Harry wheezed out.

“It’s family day, of course,” Molly said, stepping in to fuss at his uniform. “You’re always so thin. Have you been sleeping enough, dear?”

Harry just beamed wider. “Come on, I’ll take you down to breakfast!”

He led them all through the door, pausing to grin at Sirius and say, “Nice dress.”

Sirius shoved him playfully through the door. They made a beeline to a gaggle of redheads gathered at the Gryffindor table. Sirius made himself walk slowly and calmly, despite feeling the dozens of adolescent eyes pasted to his backside. He was so caught up in focusing that he nearly didn’t see the attack until it was so late.

Two girls around Harry’s age flung themselves at him with squeals. These were two of the faces he’d had to memorize: Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. They wrapped him in a hug that cut off his breath, then switched off kissing him on either cheek. It felt wrong, very wrong, but he couldn’t let that show. Instead, he pasted a warm smile on his face. Why did he have to impersonate the only happy Slytherin to walk the earth?

“What in Godric’s name are you doing here?” Lavender demanded.

“Remus has been using my apartment to spend time with Harry on Hogsmeade weekends. He asked me to come with him and give Harry some support. He doesn’t have much family, you know, so I tagged along.”

“Ooo, are you and Professor Lupin together?” Parvati demanded.

Sirius grinned, leaning forward conspiratorially. “Always hopes I would get in a Professor’s pants.”

They broke out in uncontrollable giggles.

“Everyone had a crush on him,” Lavender revealed.

Sirius grinned. This was just too good. “Oh, really?”

“Of course, he’s such a gentlemen. You’re really luck, Natalie,” Parvati said.

She and Lavender glanced over at Mooney, burst into another set of giggles, and walked away whispering excitedly. Sirius took a seat beside him, across from Harry. It took a lot of maneuvering in a dress that came down tight to the knee.

“Hey guys, this is Natalie, Lupin’s girlfriend,” Harry said cheerfully. “She goes by Snuffles sometimes.”

Ron Weasley spat out juice all the way across the table, splattering his mother’s dress. She sighed. “Honestly, Ronald.”

“Sorry. Wrong hole.”

The twins snickered.

“Snuffles?” A red headed girl who must be Ginny Weasley asked.

“Werewolf joke,” Remus said.

“Oh!” She said, eyes widening. “Are you...”

“No,” Sirius said, leaning forward. Every male at the table dropped their gaze. “Doesn’t mean I’m not an ani-“

“Natalie!” Mooney snapped. “We talked about this. No traumatizing the children.”

“Oh but that’s what Slytherins are for. We scare them to death and swallow them hole.”

“Slytherin?” Bill Weasley asked.

“Class of ‘79. Got a snake and everything.”

“Yeah, I bet you do,” Harry muttered.

Sirius kicked at him but he dodged easily.

It turned out to be one of the best days in Sirius’s life, if not one of the strangest. Harry was a good kid. When he and Lupin slipped off to get a private word in, they made sure to tell him how proud James and Lily would be, how much they wished they could have been there. When Sirius’s eyes got wet, he blamed it on hormones. Mooney and Harry had both rolled their eyes.

Their time together went by all too quickly. Lunch was tense and short. Harry didn’t eat anything despite Molly’s protests, only rolled vegetables around on his plate. It was all too soon when Dumbledore stood and asked the champions to please follow him to prepare for the final task. Sirius clamped down on Harry’s hand, the long nails cutting into his skin.

“Listen to your instincts, kid. They’ve not failed you yet.”

Harry nodded, stumbled to his feet, and walked off in a daze. Sirius watched him go, worry and guilt and fear all warring in his chest.

Vaguely, he noticed the hall emptying out around them. He and Remus were the last to leave, but before they could slip into their cupboard, Hermione Granger, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and Ginny Weasley stepped out of an alcove.

“Does she know?” Granger demanded. Her arms were crossed and her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Hermione!” Remus snapped. “Of course she knows. I would never allow someone steal my friend’s identity. I’m disappointed. I thought you knew me better than that.”

Hermione glanced down at her feet, a tinge of pink rising to her cheeks.

“Us girls have to stick together,” Parvati Patil said.

Lavender Brown stepped forward. She glared down at Sirius without a tinge of fear. “I might not know who you are, but I am a Brown. Seer blood ruins in my veins. If I find out you’re lying, I will hunt. You. Down.”

With that, she spun, smacking him in the face with heaps of blonde curls. She and Parvati were nearly skipping with the threat of violence. Hermione watched them go with wide eyes.

“Did she just...” Hermione began, trailing off in disbelief.

Ginny shrugged, wrapping her arm in hers and pulling her away. Before they were out of hearing distance, however, she peered back over her shoulder and called, “Fred and George can’t think it all up their own. I’m their favorite sibling. Think on that, Professor.”

Remus watched them go, smiling fondly.

“I miss them all so much,” he said.

“I don’t think I like being a girl,” he said.

Remus grinned. “Why ever not, Padfoot?”

“People always stare at me, but at least it’s at my face. Nobody’s looked at my face except you. I even caught Bill and Charlie staring at my tits earlier. I thought they were the good sort. It doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Feeling possessive, are we?” Mooney taunted, pulling him into the broom closet.

“Well of course, I am! They’re my tits, aren’t they?”

Remus smiled sadly. “I wish James were here to see this. He would have loved it.”

Cheer gone, they slumped down onto the floor. Sirius soon began transfiguring all of Filch’s supplies into phallic objects in an attempt to keep himself from losing his mind. Remus even got antsy enough to join in and before long, they were competing for the most ridiculous transfiguration. Sirius was so engrossed in not worrying about Harry, he hardly noticed when his body began stretching out to his normal six feet.

Remus helped him vanish the ruined clothes and change into a more suitable pair of robes. He had just picked up another scrubbing brush, a truly inspired idea for the bristles in mind, when the door opened. He and Remus both cursed and looked at one another in panic. It was only Burke, gaping at the two of them surrounded by cocks.

Remus let out a shaky laugh. “I thought you were McGonnagal coming to give us detention.”

She smirked and winked at him saucily. “I’d rather you be the one to punish me, Professor.”

“Oh!” Sirius cried, suddenly remembering. “Did you know that Remus stole the hearts of Hogwarts last year? He’s just such gentleman, apparently. What are we going to do with him, Burke?”

Remus blushed furiously.

“While your flirting is absolutely adorable, we do have somewhere to be, gentlemen.”

Sirius grimaced. He quickly transformed into Padfoot, his stomach falling lower with every step.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Burke said, heels echoing on the wood as she hurried to catch up. “I’m glad you had a laugh. You deserve it.”

He slowed enough to bump in to her, leaning his heavy weight against her hip. She reached down to scratch him and he hardly noticed her ring catch in his fur.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t realize Ginny wasn’t in the hospital wing until after I wrote it. Sorry! Anything with asterisks is taken directly from GoF and edited to fit this story.

Severus Snape listened to Crouch’s story with growing dread. Then Potter spoke and made it all the worse. The Dark Lord had dallied in ancient magics that were better left forgotten. Even Severus, who studied the Dark Arts with near reverence, knew the limits. He understood what the euphoria and strain did to one’s sanity. If only there were a medium, some great man between the Dark Lord and Albus.

“Minerva, please escort Harry and his dog to the Hospital Wing,” Albus ordered. Severus did not bother to hide his amusement. Black, so mighty and arrogant, had been lowered to live as nothing more than an animal. “Natalie, you will help Severus in rescuing Alastor. Remus-“

“No,” Burke said.

Severus bit back a smile at the Headmaster’s incredulity.

“Pardon?” He asked kindly.

“I don’t think I can,” she said, eyeing her manicured nails with sadness. “My wand movements haven’t quite been the same since you ordered dear old Alastor to break every bone on the left side. Also, I’m so very tired after fighting a Death Eater.”

The werewolf snorted. Burke and Black had intercepted Crouch, incarcerated him with barbed wire, and dragged him into the defense classroom. The only thing she’d had to do was make a plan- Salazar knew Black wasn’t capable of thinking up one- and levitate the prisoner.

Burke was bit too....everything for his tastes- too loud, too affectionate, too Hufflepuff, but Merlin did he appreciate her utter disregard for anyone other than herself. He didn’t particularly mourn his time as a student, but he did regret only serving under Regulus and Burke for one year. Their rule of Slytherin house was steadily going down in legend with the regimes of the Dark Lord and later, Bellatrix.

“Natalie, now is not the time!” Albus protester. “We cannot-“

She rolled her eyes and sighed in a way that put him in mind of Pansy Parkinson. “Fine, but only so Severus doesn’t have to deal with him alone.”

“Thank you,” Albus said, and Severus wondered if Lupin caught the anger in his voice as well.

“Remus if you would like-“

“Someone needs to guard Barty,” Burke interrupted. “We all know how Fudge likes to hand out Kisses like they’re lemon drops and I will not have you let the only eyewitness account of Peter Pettigrew slip through the cracks.”

Albus stared at Burke for a long time. She didn’t break eye contact, but Severus could see how his legilimency tired her.

“I’ll stay,” Lupin spoke up.

“Very well. Is that enough for you, Ms. Burke?”

“Not really but whatever.”

“Then I shall unfortunately have to fetch Cornelius,” Albus said. He left in a flurry of spangled robes.

Severus’s courtesy lessons came to mind. He held out his arm to help her down from the desk she’d perched herself on. She sighed wistfully as she placed her her hand just below his elbow, careful not to touch the throbbing Mark hiding underneath the layers of clothing.

“I’ve missed being around Slytherins. You’re all so polite,” she said. She paused long enough to call over her shoulder to the werewolf, “If it’s between you and him, choose yourself. We’ll find another way.”

Out in the corridor, Severus sneered and drawled, “I don’t understand what you see in them.”

“We’ll just have to agree to disagree, Severus.”

He wanted nothing more than to lament about everything those blundering fools had ever said and done, but agreed that it was not worth the argument. Burke was the only other Slytherin he knew that wasn’t a raging megalomaniac or an idiot racist. She was someone to be cultivated, not ostracized. So instead of arguing, he paused their procession to examine the ruined statue of armor. A big gaping hole was burnt into the chest. Crouch Jr. had said that the armor had attacked him moments Black ran from an alcove.

“How did you awaken the knight?” Severus wondered.

“I asked him.”

Severus raised a brow. “Indeed?”

“Yep. I told the castle I could use help rescuing a student and this guy woke up.”

“Interesting.”

“I wasn’t sure it would work, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. Hogwarts is sentient, after all.”

“Yet you are not part of the staff.”

“No, but I am technically loyal to the headmaster. I think that might have had something to do with it.”

A headmaster that had given them a distasteful task to complete. Severus gently pulled her away and up the short spiraling staircase to the Defense office. There were no wards on the outer door, but after crossing the waiting area and examining the door, they found enough to bring the office in on itself.

“Would you like help?”

Severus considered her. “Did he really torture you?”

“The night Potter died.” Severus flinched. He remembered that night all too well. “Dumbledore couldn’t break through my shields to see where I’d gone after...after Regulus, so he assumed I could overthrow veritaserum. Which I can, obviously, but I wouldn’t have. I was trying to help.”

“May I ask?”

“I gave him Mercy. I needed to regroup after.”

As he had assumed. He knew she and Regulus were not romantically involved, of course, but they had loved one another. He couldn’t imagine killing Lily, not even to put her out of her suffering. Suddenly, there was a foreign presence in his hand. He stared down at where she gripped his tightly. It itched. No one had held his hand since Lily.

Burke seemed unaware of his discomfort. She squeezed tightly and peered up into his eyes. “Severus, he found something. Something that I think you can help with if you can stomach working with Sirius.”

He wrenched out of her grip.

“I am a spy and a professor,” he hissed. “I am perfectly capable of enduring unsavory companionship.”

Burke winced. “Of course you are.”

Severus sighed. “Sit down. I’ll handle the wards. You obviously need to rest and gather your wits after such a strenuous battle.”

Burke through back her head and laughed her absurd laugh. He distinctly remembered everyone in the common room turning to gape at her the first time she’d broke their stern atmosphere with her echoing laugh. When Rosier had commented on decorum, she’d told him to do something about it. It had taken Slughorn over an hour to unstick Rosier from the ceiling.

“Do you need a decoy conversation for your occlumency?” She asked.

“...No,” he finally admitted. He didn’t like revealing his expertise in the mind arts. Better to be underestimated. “Silence, Burke. I’ll never get this done with your incessant babbling.”

“It’s good to see you again, Severus.” He glanced over to see her smiling ear to ear.“I’m tired of being surrounded by Gryffindors.”

“Indeed.”

They worked in companionable silence, as they always had. She transfigured a mirror and began reapplying her makeup while Severus unraveled Crouch’s protections. Burke would sometimes invade his studying areas when they were students. He had only accepted her presence because she had remained silent except for scholarly inquiries. She was alsoadmittedly very pleasing to look at it. Now, given the rumors of her talents in divination, he wondered if perhaps she had always known they would work together on something far more important than their tranfiguration essays.

He held the door open for her when they were done. Her neckline had deepened considerably and her lips were now painted a startling red. She was almost impossible to look away from. He raised a brow down at her.

“Have you yearned for dear Alastor so much?” He drawled.

“Fuck off.”

They made their way to the trunk, making several stops to pocket items that caught their eye. The trunk itself was foolishly unwarded. It only took four taps of a wand to reveal a half bald madman squinting up at them with one eye.

“About damn time!” The auror croaked.

Severus sighed, but helped lift him all the same. Burke activated the floo and sent Mad-Eye through first. She paused with her handful of powder.

“Are you ready?” She asked.

He sucked in a breath. No, he was not. He never would be. No one could ever be ready for what he had to do.

He held out his arm. She tucked her hand into his elbow.

“Always,” she said in answer to some unspoken question.

Her eyes almost looked like Lily’s in the green flames.

* * *

Molly glanced up at the surge of green flames. Severus Snape exited the fireplace with the dreadful Burke girl on his arms. Molly might have liked her clothing if it were date attire, the robin’s egg blue dress and scarlet lining was a very pretty contrast, it was simply inappropriate for a school.

The Hospital Wing was surprisingly quiet. Poppy was levitating an unconscious Mad-Eye to the back corner. Her boys and Hermione were gathered around poor Harry. He kept twitching and flinching even in his sleep. There were ligature marks, a deep cut from a blade, and evidence of the cruciatus curse on his scan. The poor boy could never catch a break. And to go back to those horrible Muggles so soon!

Molly was brought out of her worries by none other than Natalie Burke. She edged past Bill, Hermione and even Ron to conjure a chair. Molly pressed her lips together, biting back her rising temper. Burke was obviously no longer polyjuice and frankly wasn’t nearly close enough to Harry to be with him. 

“Have any of you-“ she began, then suddenly winced. “Jesus, that was British. Can I borrow a black cloak?”

“I have my school cloak,” Ginny said.

She passed it to Bill, who passed it to Ron, who passed it Burke with burning ears. His disappointment at her robed appearance was evident for all too see. Poor dear. Ron’s strengths did not lie in his cunning. Gryffindor through and through, that one.

“Sorry about this,” Burke said cheerfully. Molly frowned. She could have at least pretended to be truly sorry. “Got a role to play.”

The dog twisted it’s head to watch Burke, his tail thumping steadily against the covers. Molly didn’t really know what that was all about, but she suspected that whoever had worn Burke’s face earlier was now in their animagus form. She’d have to get Arthur to check the Ministry registry.

Burke raised her wand, held it to her hair, an murmured an incantation. The sun-bleached streaks darkened to a ginger, and her natural ginger darkened to auburn, giving her a very distinct shade of red hair. Molly stared.

“Wicked,” Ginny said.

“Thanks. I can teach you sometime if you want.”

“That’s Prewett hair,” Molly blurted.

Burke whipped her head around to stare at Molly. Her eyes, which had been so happy and nearly blue moments before, dulled to a pale and haunting fire.

“I know,” she said flatly.

The dog whined and stretched, but did not leave Harry’s side. Molly stared some more. She hadn’t had on red lipstick before. Molly didn’t remember her dress being quite so revealing earlier. Her chair was angled away from the doors and her new hair was brushed strategically to hide her profile.

_“I think we’ve found her, Mols,” Fabian had said._

_“She’s our witch,” Gibeon had agreed._

_“Who is she?”_

_Gideon had winced. “She’s dark.”_

_“Fights sometimes.”_

_“Spies sometimes.”_

_“Very sweet, though.”_

_”Very loud.”_

_“Very weird.”_

_“We like her.”_

_“Let it slip that we might be the ones.”_

Whatever Molly might have said was cut off by a sudden shouting march. Everyone perked up in a effort to eavesdrop. Molly waited for them to pass by, but they never did. In fact, their voices only got louder. She glanced down at Harry. The poor boy was twitching even more.

“They’ll wake him up if they don’t quieten down,” she whispered fiercely.

“Is that Lupin?!” Ginny cried.

“He’s so hot when he gets angry,” Burke said.

The doors slammed open to reveal a short man with a bowler hat and a pinstripe suit arguing with another very much taller one. Molly had gotten to know Remus quite well during the last war. He was always eager to help her mind and tutor everyone’s children. She’d known, of course, that he was a werewolf, but he was so even-tempered and kind. The wizard stampeding towards them was not the Remus Lupin she knew. If Remus walked around like this all the time, his secret would have been revealed years ago. His eyes were burning gold, his lips were twitching into a snarl, and muscles were bulging against his button-down.

“-IN A BLOODY SCHOOL, FUDGE!” He was screaming.

“YOU’RE ONE TO TALK, WEREWOLF!”

“I WOULD DIE BEFORE I HARMED THESE CHILDREN AND I WILL DIE BEFORE I LET YOU-“

“LET ME? I’M THE MINISTER-“

“WHAT SORT OF MINISTER SETS DEMENTORS LOOSE ON A FUCKING SCHOOL?”

But Fudge wasn’t listening. He was stomping like a child to Harry’s bed. The minister was so enraged that he didn’t notice anyone but Bill and his long hair. When Molly rose in defense, he rounded on her.

“Where is Dumbledore?!” He demanded.

“This is a hospital wing, Minister,” Molly hissed. “You had best take a seat and wait-“

“I am here, Cornelius.” Dumbledore said, striding through the doors with McGonnagal quick on his heels. Molly relaxed the slightest bit. The headmaster would sort it all out. “What has happened?”

“Dementors, Albus. Dementors! I tried to fight them off, but one got around and Kissed Crouch!”

Molly could have sworn that Dumbledore’s eyes flicked to Ron’s side of the bed.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. “That is most unfortunate.”

“Oh that’s not all, Albus. Tell him, Minister. Tell him what your obedient guards did when Filius and I managed to wrangle them down the hall!”

Fudge drew himself up importantly. “Dementors are a complex-“

“Then don’t bring them to a FUCKING-“

“Remus, I think it best if you take a walk to collect yourself,” Dumbledore said.

“Yes, someone please put this dog on-“

“Cornelius!” A feminine voice scolded.

He spun on his heel, saw Natalie Burke in her tight dress and red lipstick, and blinked several times. “Natalie?”

“I would say it’s good to see you, but frankly, I’m disappointed. This is very unprofessional.” Her impossibly high shoes clicked with every step, her hips swaying in time with the beat. “And worse, lacking imagination. I’m pretty sure I heard Bellatrix Lestrange yell those exact words on the McKinnon property.”

Fudge leaned to trade kisses in greeting. He looked simultaneously startled and surprised.

“How did you come to be here, Natalie?” He asked. He didn’t take his hand off her waist.

“For Harry, of course.”

“I wasn’t aware you were close with Harry Potter.”

“He‘s the Black heir, Cornelius. I’ve been trying to teach him everything that goes along with his responsibilities, but he’s been distracted. You know how teenagers are.”

His hand lowered. The dog let out a short growl. Molly startled to see Harry wide awake, his fingers digging deep in the dog’s shining black fur.

“Yes, yes. Of course.”

“Not enough to distract you from the matter at hand, I hope,” Dumbledore said. “Barty Crouch has been Kissed and if my deduction skills are up to par, I believe they turned to their attention to my students afterward. Am I wrong, Minister?”

“Well, you know how these things happen, Albus.” Natalie seemed to have worked wonders on the man’s mood. “The dementors are attracted to misery and a student died tonight.”

“And a man has lost his soul without a trial.”

“What does that matter?!” He said, flinging his hands around. Natalie took the opportunity to take several steps behind him. “The man was a lunatic.”

Dumbledore looked as though he was trying very hard not to gape. “Not only is that a major obstruction of justice, but he will no longer be able to testify that Lord Voldemort-“

“You-Know-Who-“

“He is back, Cornelius.”

Fudge began shaking his head slowly.

“The Cup transported Harry and Cedric to Voldemort, where Harry witnessed Voldemort’s rebirth. I cannot allow you to question Harry tonight-“

*“You are- er- prepared to take Harry’s word on this, are you, Dumbledore?”*

The dog suddenly stood up to its full, monstrous height and growled at the Minister. Remus edged around to bury his hand in its scruff. 

*“Certainly I believe Harry,” Dumbledore said. His eyes were blazing. “I head Crouch’s confession, and I heard Harry’s account of what happened after he touched the Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer.”

Fudge glanced at Harry before answering.

“You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned on the word of a lunatic murder, and a boy, who...well...”

“You’ve been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge,” Harry said quietly.*

Everyone except Snape, who had glided over to stand beside Burke, jumped.

*”And if I have?” Fudge said, looking at Dumbledore. “If I have discovered that you’ve been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh?”

“Listen to me, Cornelius,” said Dumbledore, taking a step toward Fudge. The hairs on Molly’s arms raised. His magic gathered around him and reached out to warn them all of the storm brewing within itself. “Voldemort has retuned. If you accept that fact straightaway, Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of dementors-“

“Preposterous!” Fudge shouted. “Remove the dementors? I’d be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel-“

“He’s back!” Harry suddenly shouted. He tried to get out of bed, but Remus shoved him down. “I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names. Lu-“*

A very loud crashed echoed through the room, causing them all to jump. Burke had one arm deep into a levitating, extendable clutch and the other full of cosmetics. A broken mirror lay in pieces at her feet.

“Motherfucker!” She cried, staring down at in shock and dismay. “I’ve been looking for that for weeks.”

Snape sneered down at her in disgust. “Really, Burke? At a time like this?”

She rolled her eyes and began dropping the tubes and vials back into her velvet bag. “Well it doesn’t concern me. I’ve got a shop and a Most Ancient and Noble house to run and a batty Great-Aunt Vernice to go see, who prefers-“

“Will you stop your incessant-

“Well, excuse you. Seems someone still has a stick up their ass!” She snapped the bag closed and swept her eyes around the room. “Look, it’s been a very long day for everyone. We’re all tired and angry- well you all seem to be angry. I’m more appalled than angry. You’re both grown men in prestigious places of power shouting at each other like children. This would be a very different scene if it were two women. We would have already came to an agreement or dueled one another into submission. Why don’t you both go take a bath, have a snack, and meet when you’re not so angry? Hmm?”

“Miss Burke-“ Dumbledore began angrily.

“There has been a tragedy, Dumbledore! There are tens of thousand of terrified adults who need to hear from their minister and a school of terrified kids who need to hear from their headmaster. Put the rulers away and measure your dicks some other time!”

“Natalie!” Fudge cried, utterly aghast. “I’ve never heard such language from a pureblood lady!”

“You’ve obviously never been in the Slytherin girl’s dormitories then.”

“Well, of course I haven’t.”

“Why not? You should go sometime, it’s very luxurious. Or you could go visit Bellatrix. She’s just as inbred and foul-mouthed as I am. I’m sure she’d enjoy the company.”

Fudge opened and closed his mouth several times before chuckling lightly. “Oh, Natalie. I can always count on you to defuse a situation. Perhaps you’re right. What do you think, Albus? Owl my secretary?”

Dumbledore looked from Fudge to Natalie. He stared at her long enough for the minister to begin rocking back and forth on his feet.

“I shall send my schedule as soon I am able.”

“I’ll see you then. Natalie? Are you leaving?”

“No. I want to be sure Harry isn’t going to keel over and die before I can dump all of my responsibilities on to him.”

“Very well.” Fudge seemed disappointment. He tossed a bag of gold onto Harry’s bed. “Your winnings.”

With that, he placed his hat back on and strode through the doors. The room was silent long after they closed shut.

“I assume you had a good reason for that,” Remus said, breaking the silence.

“No, Remus, I get off on having a gnome of man rub his tiny hands all over my ass!” She snapped. “I whored myself out last time, and I’ll do it again, but not if you don’t stop and fucking think! Are you crazy?! Do you want to to war with the Ministry and the Dark Lord?”

“While crass, Burke is not incorrect. It would bewise to approach the situation with a plan,” Severus added.

“Thank you!” She nearly screamed. “Is there anyone here that isn’t a Gryffindor? No? Not even you Pomfrey?”

Everyone turned to the Matron. She shook her head.

“Jesus fucking Christ! These houses and all the competition that goes with them are the stupidest-“

“I am well aware of your opinion on the points system, Natalie, thank you.” His anger had deflated into exhaustion, but his eyes were twinkling again. “And I owe you my thanks for preventing another catastrophe. I believe you are correct. Perhaps it is time to regroup and consider everything anew.”

Harry shifted and looked as though he was going to interrupt, but Hermione swatted him gently.

“Shh! I’ll explain it all later!” She whispered.

Molly and Remus met one another’s eyes, then quickly looked away before they could laugh.

*“Molly...am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?” Dumbledore asked.

“Of course you can,” she said, drawing herself up.

“Then I need to send a message to Arthur,” he said. “All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius.”

“I’ll go to Dad,” Bill said, standing up. Fierce pride warmed Molly’s heart. “I’ll go now.”

“Excellent,” Dumbledore said. “Tell him what has happened. He will need to be discrete. If Fudge think I am interfering with the Ministry-“

“Leave it to me-“ Bill said.*

He said his goodbyes and strode quickly from the room. Molly watched the doors long after he was gone. Her children were too young the first time round. This time...this time they would all be fighting or fighting to fight.

Remus and Madam Pomfrey left soon after to fulfill their own duties. Dumbledore waited until their footsteps faded before speaking again.

“Molly, earlier today I informed you that Remus was escorting someone very dear to Harry. I think it is time you meet. Sirius, if you would.”

She looked at the dog, because it could be none other, and it predictably changed into a man. That, she was expecting. The man, however...

*“That’s Sirius Black!” She shrieked, nearly knocking over her chair.

“Mum, shut up!” Ron yelled. “It’s okay!”*

“Molly, I assure you he is innocent,” Dumbledore said. “Sirius has been living with Miss Burke to be close to Harry. I’m sure you remember that he is Harry’s godfather?”

“I...I...Yes, of course. Of course I remember.”

But then who had it been? Had it been Peter? Sweet, round little Peter? Had he betrayed James and Lily?

“Excellent,” Dumbledore said. He turned to Severus with a very grim expression. “Severus, the time has come. Are you ready?”

The potions master, already a pale man, was as white as bone and his black eyes were filled with danger and fear. A spy, then. Perhaps even a double agent. Merlin save his soul. He was braver wizard than she could ever hope to be. He was very literally in for a world of torture. Molly would be here, tucked into a soft bed, while this thin, ugly man would be lying to the Dark Lord’s face.

Her heart lifted the smallest bit when Natalie rushed over to squeeze his hand before he could leave.

“As for Sirius and Natalie, I ask that you wait for Lupin and go with him to contact the old crowd. It would be best if you lie low at the shop afterward.”

“But Sirius-“ Harry said.

Molly watched like a hawk, ignoring Burke’s petulant “The war can wait long enough for me to change my shoes, can’t it?” and Dumbledore’s amused answer. She needn’t have worried. Sirius spoke to him in low, urgent tones. He hesitated, just a moment, then pulled Harry to him and pressed his lips to his forehead and gathered him in his arms. Molly, looked away her, blinking against the burning in her eyes.

Then, Harry’s broken sob broke through.

Molly’s dam broke.

“Out,” Molly ordered, voice cracking. “Everyone out. The war can wait for another five minutes.”

Dumbledore, however, was looking down at a blushing Burke with fondness in his gaze.

“Yes, I think it can wait a few moments. Come along, children. I have a most excellent story about Professor Lupin and a house elf if you would care to hear it.”

“Uh-oh. Sounds like you’re in trouble, Burke,” Ron teased.

Molly couldn’t bring herself to scold him. If she opened her mouth, she might never stop crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if I was clear enough, but Burke met the Prewett twins, became friends with them, fell in like/lust with them, and thought they might be the ones she was supposed to save. (It wasn’t them and she wonders what she could have done differently.)
> 
> In the book, Harry has a beautiful moment with Molly where she hugs him “like a mother”, and lets all his feels out. Since Natalie has been so affectionate with a very lonely Sirius over the past few months, Sirius suddenly understands that Harry is very lonely as well and probably needs a good hug. So in my story, Harry has a beautiful Dad Hug with Sirius instead.
> 
> *******NEWS*********  
> I do not have a beta, so I’m editing this as I go or as I reread what I’ve already posted. Is there anything about this story that needs to be taken out, that maybe doesn’t fit? Does someone seem super ooc? It is an au, so people are ooc, but I mean like “that doesn’t make sense in the context of the story” ooc. 
> 
> Is there anything you’d like too see happen?
> 
> Thank you so much for reading :) 
> 
> Edit:  
> Oh yeah! I wanted to ask:   
> In my free time I’ve been writing Harry as a Slytherin girl, but still like power of love and feuds with Draco and loves quidditch Harry, and Regulus lived and they EVENTUALLY get together (no grooming, etc.). Would anyone be interested in reading it?


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